Overview
There are many kinds of frame looms- some made from a picture frame (most easiest to “make”) and pieces of scrap wood. In this tutorial I will be using a frame loom from Sostrene Grenes. It is a webstuhl, or a simple frame loom that can be used to weave smaller projects. (This warping technique can be used on a variety of looms. )
This loom is spaced every half inch, however I would like the weaving to have more warp and EPI, or ends per inch. Therefore I will use a double warp technique to dress the loom. Now there will be a row of warp every quarter of an inch.
Double Warping Frame Loom Tutorial
Step 1: Attach the yarn to the loom. You can tie the yarn tail to one side of the loom or create a slip knot and tighten it to first loom tab.
Step 2: Guide the yarn from one side of the loom to the other. Using a heddle bar, be sure to guide the yarn through the first groove of the loom heddle. Continue this until the end of the loom, but on the heddle bar, skip every other groove.
How to double warp loom with a heddle bar – Warp 1:
Step 3: Once reaching the end, loosely tie the yarn end to the loom.
Step 4: Tape a piece of tape to the top and the bottom of the loom.
Step 5: Row by row, tighten the warp.
Starting with the first line of warp, hold it firmly. Then, pull the second line of warp down. Repeat this every other line of warp until you have reached the end of the warp.
TIP: The tape will help keep the warp in place while the warp is being tightened.
Step 6: Once the warp tension is tight enough, tighten the yarn end around the loom.
Step 7: Tie on the next set of warp yarn to the loom. In this tutorial, I have tied the new set of yarn on the side that I ended the weaving on.
Step 9: Similar to the first set of warp, guide the yarn from one side of the loom to the other. Using a heddle bar, be sure to guide the yarn through the remaining grooves of the heddle bar. Continue this until the end of the loom.
How to double warp loom with a heddle bar – Warp 2:
TIP: You can keep the tension by using a thumb to hold down the yarn on the loom. This way you will not have to use the tape to readjust the tension later.
Step 10: Once reaching the end, tie the yarn end to the loom.
Step 11: Open and close the shed of the loom by rolling the heddle bar forward and backwards.
Once rotated, one pattern of the shed is opened, and the other closed. Using this heddle bar helps open 2 patterns (plain weave). This can be used instead of a stick shuttle.
Conclusion
Double warping the frame loom allows more ends per inch in weaving. Not only will the weft be controlled, but a variety of pattern and styles can be woven.
Now, its important to be aware of the spacing between the the warp however. Using a heddle bar is very helpful for maintaining an equal distance between the warp yarns, but it does limit the amount of patterns that can be woven. Outside of plain weave, this heddle bar does not help create other patterns. But, you can hand weave design with the heddle bar in place (positioned towards the back of the loom) and weave as you like.
Overall, I found the Sostrene Grenes webstuhl weaving frame loom to be easy to use and compact – ideal for beginner weavers. It can be a good option as an introduction to weaving, especially if you have some interest in fiber arts and looking to learn more about it. If you are a more experienced weaver, then this loom may not interest you too much due to its size, but it is perfect for small projects and simple to use.
I hope that this tutorial was helpful for answering your questions about double warping a frame loom.
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